Getting at blocked sites on your mobile or tablet

You can’t use your device to access a site because it’s blocked on your connection.  You want a workaround.  Content filtering has become the norm in modern day work places, not to mention schools and a growing list of web censoring countries; but that doesn’t mean censorship has to be accepted.  Sometimes you simply have to get onto Facebook to respond to a message, or absolutely must visit amazon to buy that emergency gift.  Perhaps you were unaware of it, but there are actually free and easy-to-use services available that bypass any block on web traffic and give you access to the web content you want.  They are called web proxies, and can be used on pretty much any internet-activated device. 

What is a web proxy?

A web proxy is a remote computer that allows you to connect to it so you may request it to retrieve content for you from the internet.  This is called proxy (or anonymous) surfing at it’s kind of like remote controlling a computer.  The good thing about the process is that you can use it to step outside a censorship zone and access sites which are normally blocked on your connection. A web proxy will even work for unblocking Facebook in China, for example, or accessing YouTube videos that are not normally available in your region.

Will I get caught if I unblock sites with a proxy?

As long as you use encryption when connecting to a proxy (look for HTTPS proxies), no content passing through your local servers or network will be visible to the network administrators – and, if you use port 443, your traffic will blend in with all the standard encrypted traffic on your connection (to banks and payment services etc). 

However, your network administrators may still see from your URLs which sites you are visiting through a proxy server.  One way to prevent discovery is to make sure your proxy also encrypts (not just encodes) your URL.  Only the best proxy sites do this – including the free proxy tool forthcoming on www.idcloak.com. 

If your job (or freedom!) depends on NOT getting caught, you should be very careful – there are other ways your company or government can identify where you are going online, particularly if they have access to your machine; either because they own it, or they have implanted some kind of spyware there.  In high risk situations, it is in advisable to rely on a free proxy to bypass censorship unless you are an experienced proxy surfer.

How else can a free proxy help me?

Another common use of a proxy is to encrypt all your browsing so that the managers of your local network, or snoops on your WiFi, cannot see what you are doing online.  If, for example, you want to research a health problem on your device over a company wireless network, a proxy might be exactly what you need.  If you first connect to an HTTPS web proxy and only then browse on the sensitive topic, no one managing the network will be able to see what you viewed online.

Where can I get a free web proxy?

From a Free Proxy Servers List. 

IP proxies are versatile and easy to use.  You just look through the list and choose a proxy that suits your needs – usually one that is fast, secure, and close to your location – then copy its IP address and port number.  In your browser’s network settings menu you paste this information in.  If you are not sure exactly where to do this, follow the browser-specific instructions at the bottom of the free proxy list page.  Once done, all your browsing will route through that proxy, and you will be able to access all sites normally blocked on your location.

Where can I learn more about proxies?

The idcloak forum provides an arena for dialogue on all things relating to proxies.  Look at the forum as a highly detailed FAQ section, since other users post specific questions relating to their proxy experiences – ones that might relate specifically to problems, issues or queries you might have.  It also offers a meeting place for the proxy using community – where new applications for anonymous surfing can be presented and discussed.